Investigation of Propellant Sloshing and Zero Gravity Equilibrium for the Orion Service Module Propellant Tanks

Abstract

We study fluid slosh in the Orion Service Module propellant tanks. Resonant slosh frequencies were measured as a function of tank fill-fraction in a scaled model of the tanks. We carry out both computational and theoretical calculations of resonant slosh frequencies, and find reasonable agreement between experiment and prediction. We measured fluid slosh in 2 − g, 1 − g, Martian gravity (1/3 − g) and lunar gravity (1/6 − g). Using the software FLOW-3D, we established free-surface configurations in zero gravity of both the model and the full scale Orion SM tank. In addition, we measured formation times of the equilibrium free surface configuration. FLOW-3D calculations suggest that the zero-g free surface configuration consists of two separated fluid volumes.